I know what you're thinking: how am I supposed to continue to stay positive about the world when it feels so negative? Right now, the media is portraying our world to be a very negative place. How are we supposed to believe that people are still good and wonderful things are still happening when everywhere we look, there's destruction and anger?
Don't allow the media to harden your heart. Not everything you read is true, and a lot of things in the media are drawn out dramatically, expanding the terrible things even further, and no one is talking about the good stuff. We don't have to share the horrible stories all over our social media.
So, let's talk about the "bad stuff" and see why it can actually be good stuff.
1. #BlackLivesMatter vs. #BlueLivesMatter vs. #AllLivesMatter
One of my favorite depictions of this current situation is the analogy of two houses next to each other. One is on fire, and one isn't. You wouldn't spray water on both houses. You would only take care of the one that is being destroyed, and you would want everyone to help. So, when a neighbor yells #allhousesmatter- yes, that's true. Everyone needs somewhere to live, but let's take care of the burning houses first. By helping, they aren't decreasing the market value of all of the houses, they just want to save the burning ones first since they're the ones in need. In turn, the entire neighborhood becomes safer.
No one hates either hashtag, I think that's what people are missing here. Everyone is valuable. I encourage you to keep your eyes open and your heart soft so that you may see the beauty in the breakdown. The media is portraying our planet to be a really ugly place right now. Yes, there's injustice towards every single party, but it's up to us to do something about it, and not add fuel to the fire.
One day I was waiting for the train at 96th street. It was unbearably hot on the platform. The police officer working that station was opening all of the doors and encouraging everyone to wait upstairs where the "breeze" is instead of waiting underground where it's too hot to breathe. I watched him enter the large subway emergency exit door instead of the subway turn styles. Mind you, this cop was white. Not that that ever matters, but right now it does. It's illegal to hold this door for anyone because everyone must pay to ride the subway. In fact, there's a $100 fine for entering the subway without payment of the fare. The officer was holding the door for a teenage African American boy with a bike. The boy said to the officer, "Sir, I'm sorry I cannot come through with my bike, I haven't swiped my card yet." The officer looked at him and replied, "It's okay! come on through! I got the door for you!" The boy walked his bike through and I'm sure he rode the rest of his way with the face of shock as well as gratitude towards the officer. Well, my big baby, the soft heart couldn't handle that, and there I was leaking tears down my cheeks. I mean given the news, the marches, and the tensions, there were just two people, encountering each other, and looking out for one another- treating each other as humans should. In that moment, their skin color didn't matter, and neither did the uniform. I was so moved by that act of humility. I still am.
We don't have to be bad people because we hear about bad people. We can still go out of our way to be good, and to find good in others, regardless of the way we look.
2.Trump vs. Hillary
I don't even know where to start with this circus and have been trying to find the words for a few weeks now.
The best way to look at this reality show of politics that has been unfolding- and I think something we all forget- is that presidencies do not last forever. I feel this impending doom that my future children, God willing, are going to have to deal with whoever wins for the rest of their life. Something we are ALL forgetting is that the presidency lasts four to eight years, but ALSO there is a way out: impeachment exists. Nothing lasts forever.
On top of that, when someone is president, they don't just roll up to the White House on their first day and change literally everything we know about how our country as we know it. The president just gets to make suggestions, and then it has to be approved by a lot of people, and voted on and passed around. The President cannot even make an executive decision with the military, The Department of Defense can still say no.
Yes, it's unfortunate that everyone is bent out of shape about it. Even worse that other countries get to watch this show unfold and fear for our future's as well.
Yes, it's unfortunate that we're all getting to see all of these really scary people come out of the woodwork right now, and a lot of us cannot even believe that there are racist, sexist, angry, bigots in the United States in 2016. Here's a little hope for you: have you noticed that all of the people out there who are super passionate and raging angry about whatever the heck Trump is shaking his orange fist about are all a part of one generation? I have yet to see 20-something-year-olds trolling Facebook comments and out there spewing their slime on camera.
My generation was not taught to be so accepting, so generous, so loving, so peaceful, so willing to help others. We wanted to be that way. Everyone I know is stressed out about how the world is deciding to unfold because we don't believe in any of it. Where are the talk shows with post-grads? Where are the newspapers written by young people? Have you ever met a young person who hates a religion, a race, or a sexuality so much that they have to shove it down your throat? I haven't.
I had the pleasure to be a high school cheer coach in two very different parts of Virginia, as well as a camp leader for hundreds of Catholic youth who give up a week of their summer to go help people in need. I have never in my entire life experienced so much grace, patience, humility, understanding, love, compassion, selflessness, acceptance, and inclusion in my whole life. Who taught them that? Maybe their parents, or maybe they wanted their world to look different so they are doing something about it.
My theory is that they don't want to live in the world they were born in. These high school students were born around the years of 9/11. They came into a time where we were collecting our pieces and rebuilding. They want a better world than one filled with war, terrorism, hate, and segregation. I got to watch young Catholic girls all sit around and talk about a girl and her girlfriend, and they helped her with her relationship struggles, and didn't even bat an eye or utter an ounce of judgment. That's the world I want to live in. That's what I am looking forward to. So, if we have to deal with this insanity for 4 years, I cannot wait for what's in store for us with such open-hearted, and accepting individuals. The younger generations of this country just want to wear red, white and blue, be successful, be who they want to be, how they were made to be, use the bathroom they identify with, and love who they want to. Neither presidential candidate can take that away from them.
This nightmare is only temporary. The next generations are ready for a change. We can only go up after this. Thank you to the current white haired generation for showing us exactly how we don't want to be, EVER again.
As one of my favorite President's said, "Don't boo, vote."
As I have always asked, as I will always ask, please, go out and love someone.
Go love someone for their religion that is different than yours.
Go love someone for a political view that doesn't match yours.
Go love someone who looks nothing like you.
Go love someone who has less money than you.
Go love someone who cut you off in rush hour on your way to work.
Go love someone that sees the world differently than you.
Go love someone who is protesting against you.
Go love someone who has disabilities.
Go out and love someone, because love is a louder chain reaction than hate.
Love TRUMPS hate.
"My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness. Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart." -Maya Angelou
